Teacher
Information
Page

• designed for
Missouri 8th graders
• can be used in any class studying the compromises
of the Constitution

Time Needed

• Three 45-60 minute
sessions for working through the research guides and decision making
• One 60-90 minute session for final project
completion

Resources Needed

• 1 Internet
connected computer per group – ideal group size is 2-4 students
• Word processing software and printer access or
copies of the research and scoring guides for students
• Writing implements to complete the research guides
if working offline

Content Summary

The purpose of this iAdventure is to
teach students about the compromises that had to be made by the framers
of the Constitution with regard to creating the branches of government,
and the issues and debates that contributed to those compromises.
Through the completion of this iAdventure, students will have the
opportunity to look at differing sides of the debates and make their
own decisions about those debates. They will complete the iAdventure by
creating their own constitutional articles regarding the executive and
legislative branches and then compare their decisions to those of the
actual Constitution.

An
iAdventure is a problem solving activity in which students determine
the direction and outcome of a content-rich storyline, using resources
available on the Internet, particularly resources providing real-world
data and primary documents. The activity is designed to help students
discover how the characters could use access to unlimited data and
information (the Internet) to solve problems and make choices.
As students work their way through
the story, they are faced with a series of dilemmas, in which choices
must be made. At these points, the teacher has provided links to
Internet sites with real-world data, "primary" documents, and other
valuable web resources. Students visit these sites, collect data, read
various documents, view video and images, and interact with the
activities. After analyzing the information, they make an informed
decision about the next course of action for their character. The
outcome of the iAdventure is open-ended, often a complex product
created by the students themselves. Every student product should be
different, based upon the knowledge and interests of the students, and
upon the choices they have made during the iAdventure.

Topics teachers should be familiar
with before using this iAdventure

• The United States
Constitution
• Constitutional
Convention
• Virginia Plan
• New Jersey Plan
• Connecticut “Great” Compromise
• The Senate
• The House of Representatives
• Electoral College
• The Presidency

Background Information

The
main character of this story is Oliver Ellsworth, Connecticut delegate
to the Constitutional Convention. As a delegate to the Constitutional
Convention, he was in the right place to have opinions on the issues
but he left before it was signed. He is known to have supported the
Constitution’s ratification and he was a proponent for compromise,
meaning he looked at both sides of the issue and tried to do what was
best for everyone, which is the ultimate goal for the students in this
iAdventure.
The students will be told they are
being sucked back through time and space to the Constitutional
Convention and will be occupying the body and mind of the main
character. They will be informed that the decision has already been
made to have 3 branches of government (1 leader, representative law
makers, and judges appointed by the executor and approved by the
legislators) but it has come time to decide how to choose the members
of the executive and legislative branches.
Students will be “pulled out” of
Ellsworth’s body as he is leaving the convention before the final
document is signed. This way they will be “unable to see” the actual
document and have to make their own decisions for the final product of
this iAdventure. Their own version of the Constitution with their ideas
for compromises and/or decisions included and a separate document
supporting/justifying those decisions will be the final product.

In this iAdventure, students will
create their own version of the articles of the Constitution that deal
with the executive and legislative branches of the federal government.
They will include their ideas for compromises and/or decisions on a
separate document supporting/justifying those decisions. It is better
if the students have not read the actual articles of the Constitution
dealing with these areas in order to allow them to make honest
decisions based on their own opinions and reasoning. Text from the
Conclusion Page includes:

Now
that you know how your leadership will be selected, it’s time to put
your decisions in writing just as the Founding Fathers did when they
wrote the Constitution. Your team will work together to create the
first two articles of your own Constitution. The first article will
outline how the executive branch leader is selected and the
requirements for holding that office. The second article will outline
how the legislative branch representatives are selected and the
requirements for holding those offices. On a separate sheet of paper,
you will explain the reasoning behind your decisions, including
resources that may have influenced your choices. Your documents will be
evaluated using the iAdventure Scoring Guide.

Acknowledgements

I would especially like to thank Stan
Smith for the iAdventure concept and instruction on its creation. The
concept was developed in the Warrensburg, Missouri school district as
part of the "Learning with iAdventures" program funded by a Competitive
Technology grant from the Missouri Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education. For more information on iAdventures, visit the
iAdventure
Home
Page.

The following resources were instrumental in the development of this
iAdventure:

Missouri Grade 8 Social Studies Grade
Level Expectancies Addressed(A
full
list
of
Missouri Grade
Level Expectancies is available
at the DESE website)
I. Strand 1 - Principles of Constitutional Democracy
1. Knowledge of the principles
expressed in documents shaping constitutional democracy in the United
States
A. Principles
of constitutional democracy in the United States
a. Analyze important principles in the Declaration of
Independence, including inalienable rights and government by consent of
the governed
b. Analyze important principles in the Constitution
including:
1. limited government
3. majority rule and minority rights
4. separation of powers
5. checks and balances
7. Federalism
c. Apply important principles of the Bill of Rights,
such as:
1. basic rights and freedoms
2. protections against the government
B. Role of
citizens and governments in carrying out constitutional principles
a. Apply knowledge of responsibilities that
governments and citizens need to accept in order to carry out the
principles in the Bill of Rights
II. Strand 2 - Principles and Processes of Governance
Systems
2. Knowledge of principles and
processes of governance systems
C. Processes of
governmental systems
c. Explain how leaders are selected
d. Explain how power is distributed among individuals
and branches of government
e. Describe how to participate in government
g. Analyze decision-making and conflict resolution in
courts at local, state and national levels
III. Strand 3 - Missouri, United States and World
History
3. Knowledge of continuity and
change in the history of Missouri and the United States
E. Political
Developments in the U.S.
a. Justify the drafting of the Constitution and its
effects on the formation of the new nation
VII. Strand 7 - Tools of Social Science Inquiry
6. Knowledge of relationships of
the individual and groups to institutions and cultural traditions
G. Effect of
laws and events on relationships
a. Describe how laws and events affect members of
groups and relationships among groups
H. Effect of
personal and group experiences on perceptions
a. Assess how personal and group experiences
influence people’s perceptions and judgments of events

Missouri State Standards Addressed(A full list of Missouri
State
Standards is available in
PDF format)Social Studies - In Social
Studies, students in Missouri public schools will acquire a solid
foundation which includes knowledge of
1. Principles expressed in the documents shaping
constitutional democracy in the United States
2. Continuity and change in the history of Missouri,
the United States and the world
3. Principles and processes of governance systemsGOAL 1 - Students in Missouri
public schools will acquire the knowledge and skills to gather, analyze
and apply information and ideas. Students will demonstrate within and
integrate across all content areas the ability to
2. Conduct research to answer questions and evaluate
information and ideas
4. Use technological tools and other resources to
locate, select and organize information
5. Comprehend and evaluate written, visual and oral
presentations and works
8. Organize data, information and ideas into useful
forms (including charts, graphs, outlines) for analysis or presentation
GOAL 2 - Students in Missouri
public schools will acquire the knowledge and skills to communicate
effectively within and beyond the classroom. Students will demonstrate
within and integrate across all content areas the ability to
1. Plan and make written, oral and visual
presentations for a variety of purposes and audiences
2. Review and revise communications to improve
accuracy and clarity
3. Exchange information, questions and ideas while
recognizing the perspectives of others
7. Use technological tools to exchange information
and ideasGOAL 3 - Students in Missouri
public schools will acquire the knowledge and skills to recognize and
solve problems. Students will demonstrate within and integrate across
all content areas the ability to
2. Develop and apply strategies based on ways others
have prevented or solved problems
4. Evaluate the processes used in recognizing and
solving problems
5. Reason inductively from a set of specific facts
and deductively from general premises
6. Examine problems and proposed solutions from
multiple perspectivesGOAL 4 - Students in Missouri
public schools will acquire the knowledge and skills to make decisions
and act as responsible members of society. Students will demonstrate
within and integrate across all content areas the ability to
1. Explain reasoning and identify information used
to support decisions
3. Analyze the duties and responsibilities of
individuals in societies
4. Recognize and practice honesty and integrity in
academic work and in the workplace
6. Identify tasks that require a coordinated effort
and work with others to complete those tasks